Meletius
was born a Melitene, and belonged to one of the most distinguished
families of Lesser Armenia. He was a kind and gentle man, and a great
lover of peace. His virtue gained him the confidence and esteem of both
the Catholics and Arians, and he was made Bishop of Antioch. However,
the patriarchal Church of Antioch had been oppressed by the Arians, who
denied the divinity of Christ, since 331, and some among the Catholics
refused to acknowledge the new bishop, distrusting him because he had
the support of the Arians.
The Arians hoped that the new bishop
would declare himself a supporter of their heretical beliefs, but were
undeceived when the Emperor Constantius ordered Meletius, along with two
other men of faith, to explain the wisdom of God.
The first
prelate explained it in an Arian sense, and the next explanation boarded
on heresy, but Meletius proclaimed the truth, supported by Catholicism,
and explained the Eternal Wisdom while linking it to the Incarnation of
the Word. This public statement angered the Arians, and they banished
the holy man and stripped him of his position.
Meletius was
banished to Lesser Armenia and the Arians introduced Euzoius into the
position. Euzoius was a former deacon of Alexandria, who with the priest
and arch-heretic Arius had been previously exiled by St. Alexander,
Bishop of Alexandria.
Meletius was eventually reinstated as
bishop after the Arian persecution ended in 378, and he died while
presiding over an ecumenical council in the year 381.
Friday, February 12, 2021
St. Meletius of Antioch
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment